The Runaway of the Night: Act 1
by LydeaBlaze
Summary: First Story of Series 1, March 2012: After feeling pressured, out of place and struggling with more than just controlling her powers, Eggman's fourteen-year-old daughter, Katherine, decides to run away during the night. She longs for a change of scenery and a better life than being an emperor's heir, but the question is if she can find it without betraying her own father?


The Runaway of the Night

Act 1: Katherine

_As 2014 was a time of change, the Sonic Fanfics are getting a shakeup and a completely new approach is being taken towards the first series of events. -The events that surround the Freedom Fighters within the ending of a dictatorship and in the aftermath of the kingdom's reformation. The series spans across two-nearly-three years, starting from March 2012, six months before the uprising that changes all their lives._

_You may remember a fanfic called 'Pure of Heart, Dark of Moon', my first ever fanfic that I wrote in what seems like a long time ago. Revisiting it has led to its now successor. Among the changes, the Runaway story split into two acts, one that centres on Kate and another that centres on a different character, Elias. For this first Act, it will centre around Kate, however… many things have been removed and changed to where there is no quest for no sceptre, but a quest of self-discovery and the want for a better future…_

_Without fervour adieu, the beginning of the new first series_

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><p>Chapter 1: Emperor's Daughter<p>

Robotropolis, Mobius… The city in which once was fourteen years ago Mobotropolis, a shining beacon of hope and equality, turned into this industrial wasteland and stronghold for the Eggman Empire after ousting the rightful ruler, King Maximillian Acorn, and his family not long after the Great War had ended with the kingdom's success. The only place of beauty within this industrial place of machines and metal is a large stone mansion in the centre of the city, which sticks out like a Mobian amongst Overlanders. This pseudo-palace is the home of the emperor, Dr Ivo Robotnik, better known as Dr Eggman, his loyalist serving robots and only one other person.

The clock turns 6am and within the space of three chimes, three seconds, things come alive. One robot, a red spherical robot comes off his charger along with a yellow cubical shaped robot and the two of them head down the stairs and go their separate ways to the laundry and the dining room. Another robot, a blue and silver robot gets off his charger, then heads into the kitchen, and begins making breakfast, getting out bread, eggs, bacon and pancake mix out of the cupboards and putting on the coffee machine. The yellow cubical robot in the laundry gets a fresh and clean outfit and places it on top of a basket of laundry. All the while, the red spherical one sets an iPad at the head of the table and then turns it on. He begins to set out cutlery and goes to pour the coffee required for the next task. The yellow one signals for him from the foyer. –Their master is awake.

Meeting up with his workmate, the pair of androids head to a chamber at the end of an otherwise unpopulated upstairs left wing. After a tedious security check, they enter into the darkness, before the red one presses a button on the wall and the curtains fly open, letting the early autumn morning's sunlight pour in. It reveals a chamber coloured in a black tinged dark red wallpaper, filled with furniture cluttered with plans, books and assorted items on almost every surface. –Curtains flying open as a wakeup call, as a man sits up in his bed and stretches…

"Good morning, your imperial highness Emperor Eggman sir." The robots say as they go through the motions, the red one, Orbot placing down the coffee on the bedside table and fetching the robe as the yellow one, Cubot, places the outfit on the bed and the basket by the wardrobe and begins placing things away.

"I really should reconsider the snooze option..." Eggman retorts with a yawn, getting out of bed with a stretch, placing on his robe and slippers, grasping the well-needed beverage and quickly downing it, "Then again… Always need to get up early when running an empire. Did the robots get the memo to start the preparations ahead of tonight early?"

"Yes, sir." Orbot replies as he begins to make the bed as soon as the emperor is out of it, "They will start at 10am as you have said and will have the ballroom prepared by 4pm."

"Ah, good, good…" The emperor replies, picking up the outfit and then heading to the bathroom, "I'm taking a shower, alert me when breakfast is ready."

The red spherical robot replies with a salute before the bathroom door closes, with the shower starting a few seconds later. Orbot then takes the mug that left on the bedside table and goes off on the next stop of the routine morning schedule, starting on the breakfast service. All the while, the yellow robot, Cubot, tasked on the simple laundry duties and the third of this early morning trio, Metal Sonic, is frying up, boiling and toasting anything that their emperor and his daughter counts as breakfast.

In another darkened room, a fourth robot of a black and yellow comes off his charger and boots up for the morning. He then goes across the room and makes his way over to its respective control panel and presses a same button to open the curtains. As the room fills with light, it reveals a neat and tidy room with a colour scheme of custard yellows and whites with a light blue colour on the walls. Surfaces covered with either books, a violin, settings with fake flowers and a desk with a computer and other electronics on them as well as a wardrobe which as a dress hanging off the handle… It all belongs to a girl who rolls over in her bed, and places the pillow over her head.

"Shard… Turn down the brightness…" The young woman complains, muffled by the pillow over her face, "Do I really have to get up this early?"

"Come on, Miss Katherine, your father wanted you up early today." Shard, the robot replies as he heads over to the bedside, and pulls the pillow away from her head, despite the groans of protest

"Aw, can't I sleep in darn it? Since when did you become such a party-pooper, Shard?" The young woman, Katherine, retorts as she sits up and runs a hand sleepily through a mess of shoulder-length platinum blonde hair, moving her fringe out of her face, "Last time I checked, you are my robot and I didn't program you to be this cruel last time I went through your programming..."

"Master Eggman may be lenient on me because I am your companion and I now belong to you, but he still will let me have it if you are not up and down at breakfast by the time he gets there." The android replies, carrying the pillow around as he gets things organised around the room, "You'll be spending time with him, be grateful for that."

"I am, Shard, I am…" She replies as she gets out of bed with a huff of defeat, "But… You know that tonight is dad's event with the loyalists and the Ferian Empire is coming and… He is going to give me the speech. Sometimes I just don't want to be in the same room as him when he goes all… dictator dad on me."

"On the contrary, he wouldn't be doing it if he didn't care about you." Shard responds, passing a dress to the young woman as she passes, before pushing her toward the dressing screen, "Go get dressed, girl. No time for a shower, not when you've only got twenty minutes and heaven knows that your father won't wait up for you this morning."

Kate pulls off her nightgown and throws it over the top of the screen, "It's funny, you know."

"What?" The robot responds, while rummaging through the closet

"You're so darn perky when you're fully charged." The young woman responds with a soft chuckle. Her silhouette showing her taking a part of the outfit off the coat hanger, placing over her small, graceful body, "It makes me laugh."

"Then call me your personal jester, Imperial Princess." Shard says, coming from the closet with a pair of mid-blue tights and light blue shoes before going into a courteous bow, "It's all but the duty to milady as a companion to keep more than just her schedule and wardrobe in check."

"Don't call me that, please..." Kate retorts sharply, although slightly muffled by the top layer of the dress going on as she speaks, "Time, Shard?"

The robot turns his head, "T-minus 12 minutes until breakfast… or at least until your father finishes using most of the hot water."

The young woman reveals herself from behind the screen dressed in a floor-length, varying shades of blue dress with layered sleeves and a layered skirt with pleats, which the ends spread out when touching the floor. With the robot timing her in the background, as the deadline seems to get closer with every moment spent, Kate quickly does the tedious task of placing on tights while trying to balance the dress on the chair. Next, she then runs a hairbrush through her hair, putting it up in a simple bun and gives it a bit of flair with a ribbon, which the ends of the ribbon hang down to the end of her neck. Last on the list is to put the shoes on and hurry down the stairs. Maintaining what little grace a woman in a hurry can have.

Down in the dining room, Orbot and a few other android servants of the house bring out the filled trays of prepared foods and place them down on the table. Not only does the food have to sit in the right place, but also they have to test for poison. Though the android beings are sentient and very obedient creations that would never think to harm the emperor or the imperial princess, the resistance could be lurking about the city and heaven knows that nothing can be too safe when they are constantly on the prowl. Orchids are set on the table and cross examined for more than just presentation and given the all clear. –And in no quicker time.

Shard opens one of the double doors and Kate comes through in a slow walk with the robots responding with a respectful bow or slow nod of the head as she goes and stands in front of her hair. She cups her hands and looks forward toward the empty chair at the other end of the table. Her father is yet to join her and sit in the corresponding place, and like most mornings like routine multitasks between eating, drinking his coffee with a strong aroma that can be smelt on other side of the house out of a cup labelled 'World's best emperor' and scrolling through the news on his iPad. The door opens again and speaking of the devil, her emperor father, Ivo, comes through to the salute of his android subjects as he comes past. Kate looks to the floor as he approaches her, and yet again, she is always nervous when her father is around. On one hand, he is a caring father and he has told her plenty of times that she means the world to him, but... On the other hand, as the emperor, he despises that his heir is a pacifist, has _strange, water-based _powers, is kind-hearted and is the reason why there is greenery, one of the many things he despise most, in his backyard.

"Good morning, dad." Katherine speaks with that little happiness remains in her tired body

"Good morning, sweetheart." Ivo says, lightly kissing the top of his daughter's head before resuming his path to sit in his seat at the other end of the table, "Now I hope I haven't kept you waiting, you know as well as I do that the morning drag does allow time to escape me in having to prepare for the day ahead."

Kate then fixes her skirt to take her seat, "I didn't expect to be up this early."

"Well I'm sorry for that, darling. I should have given you the proper 24 hours, but lately things have been a little busy around the office." The father replies, taking his seat at the other end of the table and unlocking his iPad, "Not that it makes any difference it's often what it's _usually_ like on any given day with the many forces against us just waiting for the right moment to interfere…"

"Yes…" Katherine says slightly distracted as someone brings around the coffee pot and places it down beside her with the milk. She stares down to her spoon and places it down with one thought in mind. As her father continues to talk, she focuses and moves her hands to bring up the coffee and milk and in this act of hydrokinesis, places them both in her cup with a bit of sugar.

Dark green eyes then gaze up to meet the disapproving look of her father, who shakes his head, "No using powers at the table."

"But I need to practice!" Katherine sharply retorts in disapproval and protest, "And I didn't make a mess this time, dad, I mean I-"

"Katherine." The emperor sternly growls, his voice so fearsome that the mightiest of his army of sentient beings may quake in fear, "You are an imperial princess, no, you are going empress one day, Katherine-Maria Genevieve Anabel Robotnik, and I will not have you displaying your powers when you can barely control them as it is. When I say that you will not use your powers at the table or tonight when we have company, you don't bloody as well use them! Are we clear?"

"Yes, father." The daughter responds, sitting back in retreat, however as soon as she picks up her teaspoon to stir the beverage, frost begins to form around it and she drops it with a slight tap and ring as it hits the table, earning another scowl from her father. –Yet the only time frost happens is when she is at times like this, when told the _business_ by the dictator.

For the most of the breakfast, aside from the forcing of small talk from the emperor that at least wants to know how his offspring is doing, it spent with silence. With nothing but the clatter of cutlery against china plates and the tap-tap-tap of the iPad's electronic keyboard as the emperor powers through work disturbing it. Questions tend to be on the usual subjects whenever they have a meal together when he is not busy with his empire. He is always asking about her studies, how her hobbies are going, if she is taking care of her horse, if she needs anything from more allowance, books, electronics and parts for Shard to gear for her horse. Unfortunately, for this young woman, her father even goes as far as asking _certain_ questions that relate to things normally a duty that is of a mother's forte, but since her mother died when she was very young, her emperor father more or less has to be both parents... It is embarrassing to say the least, especially when this talking of feminine issues led to the "infamous" puberty conversation of 2008. –The issue that redefined the word embarrassing when Katherine had to endure her father trying to talk about what happens when a little girl is going through _those_ changes becoming a young woman.

"I expect most of you tonight, Katherine." Ivo speaks up, once his attention is away from the iPad and the speech she has dreaded only just begins, "You are nearly fifteen now and I expect that you will be on your best behaviour, and that includes your powers. I do not want anything happening tonight as we both have a reputation to uphold. Speak when spoken to, maintain a level of maturity, keep your powers under control and no sneaking off, especially with some lad."

"I fail to see how I would go anywhere with anyone aside from you or any androids like Shard, but for all else it hear it loud and clear, dad." Katherine responds with an inward sigh of annoyance

There comes a sudden beeping from the iPad and Ivo hurriedly checks it and the young woman on the other side of the table all but knows that that means; an urgent summons to the control room, and time for her father to leave her to her own suffices again. Without any time to lose, the ever-busy emperor rises from his seat and leaves the room in a hurry. –Not without giving his little girl another kiss on the head, the apologies for having to leave so soon and the leaving phrase of 'see you when I see you'. All of this too common when the empire is the one thing that has taken up two thirds of his life in the last 14 years he has lead it since the coup d'état of the Acorn from the throne.

"Well… That went a bit better than I could have expected." Shard says, approaching the emperor's daughter as she sits there trying to keep herself composed although a frown shows through, "Cheer up, Kate... At least he did not ask if you were having period pains again like in February 2-"

Katherine exhales a breath, "Prepare the brushes and the saddle, Amber Emerald needs her daily grooming and exercise."

Shard all but nods and then leaves the room as soon as he gets his instructions. Katherine takes a breath as she slowly rises from her chair and then leaves the room as soon as the robots behind her begin to clean up the leftovers and the dishes from breakfast. Although she may force a smile and keep a stiff upper lip, at times when she is around her father, but inside she feels worse than wear whenever he passes the strong judgements he has for everything that does not please him or he just despises. Although the love happens to be there… masked within his enforced high expectations that have existed since the start of his dictatorship when she was just a baby.

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><p>Coming down the stairs for a second time, Katherine has changed out of her lavish house gown into something more fitting if she was to be outside around dirt and her horse. She is in a simple short sleeve shirt with jeans and boots and has her hair down, hanging at below her shoulders. –Even a girl brought up around gowns, etiquette and rules can wear jeans and shirts from time to time.<p>

Disregarding a flowery sunhat that hangs at the back door, she opens the glass screen door and exits out into the lavish and expansive backyard that she has noticed does take up more land than their palace-sized house does. Unlike most of Robotropolis, this little jewel of rare fertile and beautiful land is filled with well-maintained gardens of flowers and hedgerows lining paths of stone that winds and turns it way around features such as a backyard pool, a fountain piece in the middle of it all by a gazebo and to the stables and an equestrian ring. This place may be the only life within this barren city and like the girl who is the only true sign of life within a heartless empire, the emperor has some strong feelings of dislike when it comes down to it.

Walking to the stables, she throws the heavy door open with a hearty heave and walks inside to a single stall to which Shard stands beside patiently waiting. A chestnut coloured horse sticks her head over a stall door decorated with a nine-year-old's drawings of flowers and hearts that litter the door around name sign, 'Amber Emerald', written in cursive with the flowers and hearts slightly overlapping the frame. The horse whinnies as she sees her owner and affectionately nuzzles Kate's hand when she places it there. A couple years after Kate and her father created her robotic companion Shard together; he had gotten her what every little girl wants: a pony. –And considering it could be killing two birds with one stone: teaching her a skill as well as teaching her responsibility, the emperor could not say no.

After a through brushing of the chestnut mare's fur, a blanket and an elegant saddle is thrown over and adjusted; a routine she has done thousands of times since she was nine years old after her father only told her once how to do it. Placing on a riding helmet and with the robot clearing out of the way so he is not trampled by the mare which stands at 14 and a half hands high, the horse and rider leave the stables in a slow walk. As a part of the routine, Katherine takes the horse once around the yard in a warm up as she walks her through the paces, getting to a canter within a few metres until getting to the horse arena and then slowing down into a trot. Under the supervision of more than just Shard and the cameras that all but constantly track her movements, Kate and her horse make laps and rounds, practice dressage and routines she had found while surfing the web and takes her to practice jumping over the show-grade obstacles that her father spared no expense on.

In the middle of the warm down, the rider all but looks to the back gates on the far side of the yard before coming to a stop on the horse. So many times, she has thought of leaving this place. Many times, she has thought of hacking the system and running videos over live recording of her training session, packing her bags the night before and riding away on Amber Emerald the minute her plans come to fruition… She cannot bring herself to do it; she could never bring herself to do it. She could never bring herself to do it, as she could not know what to do if she left. She may hate it here, but where could the Imperial Princess of the Eggman Empire go when the thought alone of her being Eggman's daughter is enough to want to make people try to kill her. –Especially if they are in some way connected with the deposed king or heaven above the United Federation...

"Kate… Kate!"

The young woman shakes her head, snapping out of her trance, "Yes, Shard?"

"Your daily lessons have been posted. Your father expects them done earlier today." Shard replies from the other side of the arena

"How come?" Kate retorts as she rides over to the gate

"Well… ah…" The robot nervously replies, an uneasy look on his face for more reasons than just the horse being within stomping range of his processors, "Well as it turns out…"

"You know what, I already know." She says with a huff, dismounting her horse and taking it by the reins to lead it from the yard, "And it would begin with the same bloody speech if he was here to tell me himself. '_Katherine-Maria Genevieve Anabel Robotnik you are fourteen years old and it is high time you begin to get involved with the empire as someday you will become empress_' and yeah-yeah-yeah and so forth."

"Well, your father wishes that you supervise the setup of the celebrations, _after_ you finish your school work." The android replies as he follows his mistress, reading over the message that he had sent on his internal display, "For tonight, he wants you to dress in what he has provided you accordingly for the celebrations tonight and be there promptly at 8. You will have to be with your father all night until 10. Hey, but fortunately it's only _two_ hours this time."

"A little more detail than needed, but..." Katherine murmurs before a sigh, turning the corner and coming to the stables, leading the mare to the stall, "Maybe we'll spend some time together. Even if I have to listen to him go on and on about things with Emperor Nega, have to make "pleasantries" with the guests, practically have to do nothing or say anything negative and refrain from "embarrassing" him by using my powers in the open."

"Yes... He has left notes like that in the email he had sent about your work." The robot comments, still reading this email that, come to think about it, is labelled _"Urgent: Changes to routine & Notes"_ before closing it, freeing up his internal display to see, "That and he kept using many font choices in the email. He uses bold a lot more when he is talking about your power control is-"

"It wouldn't be an _issue_ if he could let me practice and wasn't such an ass about it!" She interjects sharply slamming close the stall door, making the horse jump with unrest and the water bucket knock over, before he could say that one word used too often at her. She then withdraws with a deep breath, "Better get this work done..."

* * *

><p>Imperial parties: a lot of work for the condescending perfectionist who wants to get it right the first time and get it perfect. –A very attitude that comes to mind every time Katherine has to see androids prepare for one of her father's lavish banquets. Heaven knows that with the skills her father has could have laundered much money from the former crown and the peers of which were prosperous, but everything is within it's outrageous extravagance as imperial banners coat the room and mindless drones who were once flesh and blood Mobians are tasked to play the music. By sunset, more of the obedient drones carry out an ice centrepiece, an unforgivingly exaggerated statuette, that near collapses the table, of the emperor conquering the Mobians, before extravagant foodstuffs begin to surround it.<p>

With much displeasure comes getting ready for this event year after year, the only thing to ease tensions is to have all sorts of music that you'd expect a teenage girl from the Overland to listen to be blasting from the speakers. Imported songs from Station Square over in the United Federation have been playing for the last couple of hours to no one's complaint. Some solace comes from this preparation time, namely having a bath.

Katherine has always had this connection to water even before the powers came along when she turned seven. After wandering off when she was three, her father found her sitting in the fountain playing with rubber ducks and she learnt to swim by the time she was five. When seven came along and the powers began, for three years afterward it would come with heavy supervision everywhere around water. However, since blossoming into a young woman with more than just curves, bras, cramps and monthlies to worry about, the bath has the perfect place to practice, mainly because there is no one, not even any of the androids from Shard to the SWATbots, watching her for more than just the _obvious_ reasons. No one watching and no judgement passed by her belittling father whose only thing to do with her powers is to keep telling her to conceal them, just time to be alone to practice.

With a gesture her hand, water rises from its source and falls, floats as droplets within the moisture in the air, stays in one place, and circulates. -An easier way to make sure that the conditioner is out. When she is alone, nothing is there to prevent it aside from the occasional outburst because the obedience of the inanimate liquid is rebellious against the wayward girl's mind and body. By the time the knock on the door of Shard telling her that it has been fifteen minutes, she is already out of the bath and dry by the means of getting rid of all the foreign moisture left over she can from her body, dressed in her underwear and bathrobe.

As soon as she is just out of the door, a dress in a bag forced at her by her confidant with the exchange of understanding nods. Heaven knows what her father has bought for her to wear to this event this time around, but whatever it is hopefully is not finding a way to decrease her age by a decade in an unrealistic princess costume complete with a conical headpiece. On the other hand, considering he _actually_ does know how old she is after all, it cannot be very bad if he wants to impress everyone with how old she is now. Going behind the screen and in the decisive moment unzipping the fateful bag that contains whatever she will be wearing this evening; it comes with a bit of surprise that it is not _very_ bad for once. –It looks halfway decent, but still not exactly the best formal dress she could ever wear.

As Kate continues to get ready upstairs, Shard turns on a program on Kate's computer that allows her to hack and view security camera footage. In the hour before she is due to join the party downstairs, processions of guests begin to arrive by dark and fill the ballroom of the seemingly gigantic house. Once the footage changes to view the ballroom, the android calls her over to see what her father is wearing this evening. The emperor stands in a formal suit like what princes and kings... or in his case, a dictator, wears as he greets his invited guests and wanders the room. Colour coordinated to fit in with what she is wearing, it means that subtle parts of the outfit are blue, and accessories such as epaulets are on the shoulders with a sash draped at the shoulder with medals suspended on it are all silver. -It is proof that the whole outfit is another case of the over-glorification of his status of dictator of Mobius, that colour-coordination with his heir means that she is no more than just a bauble to show off instead living being with feelings, hopes and dreams. That and proof that a few bits of cloth and metal end up brining out unnecessary bragging rights.

With the final preparations and after putting a bowtie and formal jacket on Shard, Katherine finally descends the stairs and briefly pauses looking down the corridor of the near expansive western hallway. With a deep breath, she heads up the hall to the ballroom where music echoes through the gaps in the door. About a couple hundred people have piled into this one room as the RSVP's were as high as 275 last time she had checked, not counting how many would bring a plus one to these sorts of events means that there are about three hundred people and six hundred eyes watching her every move. As Shard hears one last communication from the inside, the music goes silent, as the charade has to begin.

_"__Ladies, Lords and nobles alike, fourteen nearly fifteen glorious years of empire rule on these greater two thirds of Mobius and I have much to be fortunate for."_

Katherine shifts uncomfortably as her father speaks on the other side of the door to the nearly 600 eyes that will stare her down like anything else. He always starts with a speech like this before ending up showing his prised trinket off as if it means more than the seven Chaos Emeralds and yet one thought she could be used to having to be the emperor's daughter by now. However, he will always find a way to make things worse within ten syllables or less or giving her the same cold and condescending look that could freeze over a raging wildfire and make the strongest of his army shit their pants. -Even if it is physically impossible for most if not all of the androids, it happens.

_"__So before I end up boring you all to a fate worse than death…"_ Katherine rolls her eyes one last time to her father's terrible jokes, breathing one last breath before having to be completely still, _"Yes, yes, I know, getting off topic. I present to you my daughter, my heir and legacy to the world, Katherine."_

The point of no return comes… The doors open as the many eyes peer upon the girl as her father stands at the door in wait to take her hand and lead her around. Stepping forward in her forced stride of confidence and collection in a floor-length dress of many shades of blue and kept as much innocent as one can get for a fourteen-year-old girl without looking tacky in ribbons and bows; she takes the outstretched hand of the emperor and stands by his side amongst the claps of the many guests. She inwardly shakes her head in dismay, as not only did he overdress in as much imperial finery as a royal coronation, he had to make sure that it all had to match her outfit with dark blues matching the overall of the dress. Then the second part of the entrance is to be paraded through the room by her father's side before coming to the dictator's "throne" at the head of the room and a second chair beside it for the heiress. As per the course of events, it is obvious that this is where they must take their places before everything does just go back to pointless small talk and dancing for this portion of the evening. –Katherine has been to too many of these by now so it is clear what happens when.

Speaking of what comes next, through the crowd of people who fill the ballroom the same person comes who always only appears to make his first discussion with her father when she is around –whether it is on purpose or not. Her father's greatest ally and fellow emperor, Lord Jonathan Reliagh, better known as Dr Eggman Nega, approaches with his entourage. His third wife, who is about a couple years off from being half his age, Lady Milena Sajava, hangs off the Ferian Emperor's arm for as much as they do have some sort of "infatuation" between them, she is some sort of decoration with beauty and a sharp tongue and who's mainly here to make him look good. Then there is their couple's eleven-year-old daughter, also titled as an Imperial Princess, Saraphina, follows her parents with that same a neutral, yet annoyed look she always has on her face. –As even at her age, nothing seems to be able to impress a girl who makes everyone think of her as a spoiled brat. -Kate all but settles in to stay in her place, wanting to remain out of sight unlike her father who rises from his throne to receive a firm handshake from his counterpart.

"Ivo my good man, every year your events seem to outmatch the last." Nega says as they shake hands firmly, "It just makes the flight from Diseraya to Robotropolis worth it in the end."

"That is what I wish to do, Jonathan." Ivo replies before taking his hand away, "Aside from having to be an obvious morale boost for the depressing non-robot dregs I keep around for the funding, as an emperor it becomes an important part of ruling over my kingdom to make an appearance of sorts once in a while... That and teach a certain young lady the ropes."

"Ah, yes, even if our heirs have been born the gender of female the least we should do is school them in the ways." The counterpart agrees with a look to his daughter who stands in neutrality by her father's side, "My Sara, she is nearly twelve and already she shows much promise that even for growing into a woman she will be like her aunt Ana and kick the snot out of anyone who stands in her way."

"Seriously father, you have come here in support of Ivo as close partners so the least you could do is not brag about every little thing." Sara interjects with a displeased sigh and roll of her dark blue eyes

"Oh pish posh girl... You sound too much like your mother even at your age." Her father replies, patting her head before getting a displeased look and a job to the side from her mother in return, "Oh don't give me that look, Milena..."

"Oh be honoured on that remark, Lady Milena." Ivo then says, in effort to appease the displeased Ferian Empress for his colleague, whom can never find the right words before making it worse, "It means that your Sara will turn out as an empress in her own right with the influence of your strength, wisdom and sensibilities... All to keep her father in line whenever she feels the need to by the time she becomes a commander."

"And I hope she will." Milena calmly replies with a nod of her head, "As much as I hope that your Katherine will turn out as a strong empress someday and that our daughters shall work together better than you both ever could."

"Agreed, Lady Milena." The Eggman Emperor conquers with a nod of his head, "Nega can agree that we are leaving behind a powerful legacy in which will carry on our empires and succeed where we may not."

Katherine clenches her hands and bites her lip, clenching hard enough that the sweat of her palms begins to freeze uncontrollably from the stress. For as long as she has been smart enough to realise father's empire is not what is appears and the very fact that she does not belong here anymore than any pacifist can within a violent dictatorship, she cannot say a thing in objection without reprimand. Over the years, she has learnt it is best to stay as quiet as possible and resist the urges of using the powers in front of him, and yet breakfast was the least she would cop for the accidental or on purpose use of powers. She unclenches her hands and without her father or their imperial counterparts speaking with him knowing, she melts the frost and flicks it away elsewhere, in hope that it solved _that_ problem.

"So, as bored as I am yet or have you somehow lasted longer than me this time?"

Katherine looks to the left side of her chair and is taken aback in a little shock, as she did not know Sara was standing there when a minute ago she was with her father. Despite knowing this Ferian-Overlander since was a child, knowing her tendencies to move places whenever she loses interest, have a very condescending and icy attitude and be snide toward her parents when they deserve it, Katherine still can be surprised whenever she turns up suddenly... Not to mention, whenever she is actually being _friendly and nice_ to someone for a change.

"I haven't the slightest idea of how long I have lasted, but I was fed up since first hearing of this crummy event." Katherine replies looking toward the Ferian Heiress even when Sara herself stares condescendingly across the crowd, "Your father drag you along as well this year, I take?"

"The last time I ever went to one of these was when I was in utero so I am not surprised that he would do the same thing as Emperor Ivo and bring me here like some bauble to show off." Sara scowls with another condescending roll of her sapphire eyes, "Is the food halfway decent then?"

"I'm not sure to be honest... It may vary a great deal since robots have no sense of taste whatsoever." The fair-haired young woman replies

Sara then suddenly takes her arm and tugs her up to her feet, "Well come on then, we may as well try some food if we're being here against our will."

With a simple pull of her arm by a strong-for-her-age eleven year old, Katherine forced to follow her counterpart through a crowd that has to move within the moment's notice to let them both through. –As well as the sudden bow with respect and mutter of titles to their superiors' children to follow up their movement make matters a little more awkward on their feet as one gentleman from the Southern Baronies part of the empire's control nearly falls flat on his face when the girls pass.

As the Ferian Imperial Princess pigs out on anything sweet from chocolate-dipped strawberries and mini custard tarts down the table to the lemon cakes, Katherine all but stands there with a flabbergasted expression on her face. Here she is with a small plate with one tart on it –and possibly the only one of the pair thinking rationally- as her counterpart goes to town on the buffet with no regrets and with a display such as this one, cannot bring herself to eat a thing no less this little custard tart sitting on a paper plate.

"Ah... Sara?" Katherine awkwardly utters, while in the back of her mind considering putting the tart back, "Don't you think that it's a little unladylike to-"

"Oh now we're talking. Cake!" Sara shouts with glee

"Sara, you-"

Those were the only two fragments of a sentence she could get out as when her counterpart begins to run to get a piece of the chocolate cake she somehow missed on her progression to eat anything sweet, she trips on the table cloth and on her way down clings to the table cloth in order to cushion her fall. As Katherine winces, crashing of trays and displays and a chocolate fountain hitting the floor disrupts everything, even bringing the music to a halt. She opens her eyes slowly before seeing the only remaining item on the table that remains, the exaggerated ice sculpture, begins to tip over toward the crowd. Without thinking of the consequences, Katherine closes her eyes again as she throws her hands forward to intervene. Expecting to hear a loud bang or crunch noise sound even before how much danger she is probably putting herself even coming into the equation, there is only a loud gasp... She slowly opens her eyes as her hands glow blue with the translucent liquid covering them before looking forward to see only water in a massive sphere under her control, as the statue is no more. For as much joy as there can be for what she has done, as soon as she turns her head, her smile evaporates.

Eyes of a condescending crowd stare at the young woman in states of confusion, but most of them laced with fear for what she has done. As she works her way around the room, looking at these glances begins to take adverse effects in more than just in the emotional department as her control begins to lapse, the orb of water shaking, getting more unstable as her hands begin to shake. Katherine finally makes her way up to the official party, Eggman Nega and his wife staring with shock and concern –although most of it goes out to their own daughter- before coming to her father who looks on with anger... It is not the fact that the buffet was just destroyed that has him this way though, as it is all for her use of powers in front of everyone. His glare is a mixture of anger, shame and embarrassment accompanied with a piercing stare that can pierce its way into your very soul and leave in its wake fear alone.

Katherine drops control of the water, forming a large puddle on the floor, as she all but runs away, pushing the doors open to leave and leave it all behind because she has done it now. The room remains silent and still as the emperor stares after his daughter, even staring toward her companion android that bolts the room after her, before turning his attention elsewhere. Nega and his wife rush over to the other side of the room to their daughter, Sara emerging herself from the rubble and mess covered from head to toe in foodstuff while Eggman himself calls in the droids to clean up the place. He then looks to the musicians with a piercing glare before they begin to play music again so he can return the room to proper order again as the night must go on.

* * *

><p>"I've <em>fucked<em> it now, Shard!" Katherine shrieks loudly, tears streaming down her face, as she forces her bedroom doors open in her fit of anger and distress. She kicks her shoes off across the room violently before plonking face down on her bed, "He'll do away with me for sure after what a fucking mess I've made embarrassing him in front of his _entire_ empire _and_ the Ferians."

"Now he would never do anything of the sort and you know it." Her android aide-de-camp replies calmly as he softly closes the doors behind them, "We all screw up from time to time; it's not a big deal. Besides, it wasn't your fault-"

She then sits up and gives him a teary yet fierce cynical glare, "Shard, I used my powers when heaven knows he has spent the last eight years trying to make me hide them away when all else has failed. I have probably fucked him over with my little stunt worse than he fucked over the king over to take control of this place when I was six months old. I… I'm never going to be who he wants me to be and now… I've just made everything worse because I am not the daughter he wanted."

"Well... someone should lay off the swearing for a start." Shard states, kneeling beside the young woman and patting her back while trying to be comforting, "And don't think like that Katherine. Your father may not say it much, but you are his whole world and no matter what happens-"

"Shard… Can you please go and put yourself on charge?" Katherine instructs, her tone lapsing into sadness instead of anger, "And no matter what you see or what you hear, don't come off..."

"Kate, I-"

"Now, Shard!" She sharply retorts, looking at him as tears begin to fall from her eyes, "Please…"

The android bows his head and begins to walk away, following these orders which he hates to hear when she needs someone to talk about it with. Katherine sinks her head into her pillows and begins to cry those heart-wrenching, pained tears of isolation and loneliness. It hurts Shard to hear her when she cries, as she can be the light within this gloomy place and when she is sad, the empathy alone is overwhelming. He turns back and looks for a moment to look at his weakened mistress before continuing and reluctantly assuming his place in his charger at the wall, shutting down in order to charge his energy core to the fullest it can go without fail. –But even if he is turned off, he can still hear his mistress' sobs in surveillance mode.

-+3-

Concerned for his mistress in her state of distress, Shard turns himself back on and comes off his charger. He looks over to the bed on the other side of the room where the imperial princess lies, sleeping on her side and the lamp lights the room in a dim haze. The sign that she is okay is that she that she snores slightly, and she is indeed doing so. Shard immediately breathes a sigh of relief that she could not have done the unthinkable. –Even if she would not ever think of doing such a thing, the possibility is always open.

He looks to the time as he walks over to the bed and picks up a book off the floor, placing the bookmark in for the imperial princess as she may have been reading before bed again. It is a little after midnight; the party would have ended a couple hours ago and the emperor may have gotten to bed by now. On the other hand, maybe not... as there is a knock on the chamber door. The android putters across the room in the dark and gets to the door, where the emperor stands in wait, his party clothes a little untidy with his jacket undone, a shirt untucked and somehow missing his shoes... all the while finishing off a glass of scotch he holds in his hand as he unsteadily leans against the door frame.

"Emperor...? It's the middle of the night." Shard says with some annoyance, out of the curtsey that it would be rude for Katherine to be disturbed after what happened earlier

"I know what time it is, I am not an idiot..." Ivo retorts with a roll of his eyes in his own type of annoyance typical to that if Orbot and Cubot were doing something stupid, "Is Katherine awake? I have- I have to talk to her... Like right now..."

"No, my lord, she's asleep, like you should-" The android replies promptly, before briskly being pushed away into the wall as the emperor enters in a drunken stagger, not giving a crap as it is his daughter and he can darn right come into her room if he wants, "Oh… But come in_ anyway_ since this obviously doesn't-"

"S-Shut up, you snivelling... sparking garbage can! This is _my_ daughter's room and I can damn well come in here whenever I want to." The emperor sharply snaps, making the android slightly cower with fear, "Now how about you make yourself useful and get me another fucking scotch on the rocks, would you?"

Shard bows promptly before hurrying out of the room in fear to fulfil the emperor's unnecessary demand when it is pretty darn clear that he has had an excessive amount to drink already. Ivo stumbles across the room before crashing into the bedside table, where he puts down his glass and pauses for a moment...

"I need a chair..." Ivo mutters to himself in his drunken haze, "I need... Where is a chair in this bloody chamber? I think I need to get her more chairs..."

He saunters across the room to his daughter's desk, drags the chair out from in front of her desk and by lifting it up takes it across the room. –Not without a few hazards as he knocks a few things over and crashes into a few things before getting the piece of furniture to the required destination... Even knocking the glass off the bedside table, which doesn't break due to being made out of plastic after the last time he ended up drunk ended with glass being everywhere in his study.

He sits down as his daughter continues to sleep; she has always been a heavy sleeper ever since she was a baby and not much could be able to disturb her when she is out.

"I know... I know that you're asleep, but I have to talk to you." Ivo says to the sleeping figure as he hunches over, his head resting in his hands, "I'm sorry... I am sorry for always giving you shit because of your powers and all... that... that other stuff that I just end up giving you grief on. You know... I love you, baby, I always will. I guess I am just a genius who is... a bit of a fucking idiot and I admit that I am like the- the worst father in the world... Hell, my mother was a terrible parent... But- Ah... Kate, you're growing up so fast and..."

He breaks down into tears, approaching his daughter and placing a hand on her head, "You're so much like your mother... Oh Julie, I have raised our daughter wrong! She is just like you and I miss you and- Kate... Forgive me for being such a bastard of a father... I wish I could change, but... It's just too late for me..."

He goes to kiss his daughter in the forehead before the hair suddenly falls off and he picks it up, raising all but alarm bells as he throws aside the covers to reveal nothing more than pillows stuffed into one of her nightgowns with a manikin head that had a blonde wig on it. Shard returns and sees the display of his mistress not being there and places his hands over his mouth plate, dropping the glass of scotch to let it spill all over the ground.

"Kate... Kate!" The emperor yells with alarm before looking to the android, "What are you waiting for, raise the alarm! The Imperial Princess is gone!"

Shard hits the big red button on the control panel as alarms begin to ring out all across Robotropolis. Robots on the guard and patrols perk up as their directives are reprogrammed with a message to find the Imperial Princess if she is in the city. In the mansion, Orbot, Cubot and Metal Sonic all pull themselves off the charger as their master frantically dashes around the house opening all the doors, yelling his daughter's name in panic, he hasn't been this worried since she wandered off when she was three.

_"__Katherine? Katherine?! Where are you, Katherine?"_

Outside the city and on the hill, Amber Emerald stands there as her mistress sits atop her in the saddle as she looks back to the city. Alarm bells can be heard echoing across the land as searchlights and pulsating red lights all light up the city. Katherine sits there with tears running down her face, her breathing shaky as she whimpers with sorrow. She pulls her hood over her face as she then rides off into the Great Forest, tears flowing as she makes this hasty escape into the unknown as she feels so bad for doing it, so unsure on where she will be able to go, but she knows that for the life of her she can never go back.

_ "__I'm sorry, dad..."_


End file.
